Former MVP hits Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes with 'game manager' label

Much continues to be made ahead of this Sunday's Super Bowl LVIII clash between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs about whether or not San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy is merely a "game manager" rather than an elite player at the position. 

One-time NFL Most Valuable Player and current CBS Sports NFL analyst Boomer Esiason seemingly has had enough of the discussion. 

"It’s all crap," Esiason explained during Thursday's edition of the WFAN "Boomer and Gio" program, as shared by Ryan Chichester of Audacy. 

Esiason then went on to say that Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes "was a game manager in the second half" of Kansas City's 17-10 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship game on Jan. 28. 

"They didn’t even score any points," Esiason continued. "But (Mahomes) didn’t turn the ball over."

Mahomes, of course, is widely viewed as the best overall quarterback in the sport today and for good reason. The 28-year-old is a two-time regular-season and two-time Super Bowl MVP who likely has already cemented himself as a future Hall of Famer regardless of what happens during or after Sunday's matchup. 

Esiason did, however, make an interesting point. Gordon McGuinness of Pro Football Focus mentioned how the Ravens held Mahomes to 4.8 yards per pass attempt and zero points following halftime of the AFC title contest. Mahomes wasn't a dominant force that afternoon, but it was more important that he didn't lose the game for Kansas City. 

While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, 49ers superstar running back Christian McCaffrey pointed out that Purdy's stats for this season should leave critics "in awe" of the 24-year-old. Esiason mentioned how Purdy excels at doing many of the little things during games that go unnoticed by casual fans and viewers. 

"This kid is in a very intricate offense," Esiason said of Purdy. "Calling plays is not easy. Getting formations right, snapping the ball where the guy is supposed to be when a guy is in motion and doing all of those little nuanced things. Most of this criticism about being a game manager or a system quarterback comes from people who could never come close to running the intricate offense that the 49ers have."

According to Wil Leitner of Fox Sports Radio, FS1 personality Colin Cowherd recently named 15 active quarterbacks he believes are "better" than Purdy. Nevertheless, Cowherd may be calling Purdy a Super Bowl champion by the time Monday rolls around.